Until the early nineties, the processability of amorphous alloys was quite limited, and amorphous alloys were readily available only in powder form or in very thin foils or strips with a critical casting thickness of less than 100 micrometers. A new class of amorphous alloys based mostly on Zr and Ti alloy systems was developed in the nineties, and since then more amorphous alloy systems based on different elements have been developed. These families of alloys have much lower critical cooling rates of less than 103° C./sec, and thus these articles have much larger critical casting thicknesses than their previous counterparts. The bulk-solidifying amorphous alloys are capable of being shaped into a variety of forms, thereby providing a unique advantage in preparing intricately designed parts.
The use of hard materials in the formation of intricately designed parts for a variety of uses significantly improves the life of the article, but also imposes difficulties in its manufacture and assembly. Many parts of articles, such as electronic devices, machine parts, engines, pump impellers, rotors, and the like, must be formed or molded. For example, die casting generally consists of injecting molten metal under high pressure into a mold.
When working with alloys such as bulk amorphous alloys, it is difficult to make intricate details such as undercuts and threaded portions using movable mold tools, because the molten alloy can fill any gaps or holes in the movable mold tools. Thus, it would be desirable to provide an improved method and system for molding and using a mold to form a part with such detail.